This article provides an overview of the design, access method and value of processing the health metrics that are generated from each Syncplicity Storage Connector that is deployed on premises or in a virtual private cloud.

Syncplicity Storage Connectors are deployed as virtual machines that facilitate file transfer between back-end storage platforms (e.g. where files are stored) and the Syncplicity desktop, mobile and web clients. They are stateless, meaning they can be dynamically added to or removed from a given environment as requirements and system load dictates.

Like any runtime software application the system resources consumed such as disk, memory, CPU will change over time based on the workload on the system from moment to moment. Under peak load these fluctuations in resource consumption can have a net effect on throughput that may degrade end-user performance if the Storage Connector is not provisioned and tuned correctly. It is both desirable and advisable for storage administrators to monitor key real-time performance metrics of the Storage Connector in order to adjust provisioned capacity and configuration, set thresholds and create alerts.

Additionally, in order for the Storage Connector to effectively store and retrieve files between storage and the Syncplicity clients it must depend on other subsystems of the storage and network infrastructure which are outside the scope if its control. Examples of these subsystems include the storage itself, storage access protocols, load balancers, firewalls, security infrastructure and access to the public network and to Syncplicity services. Errors or failures in these subsystems can negatively impact end user access to files stored behind the Storage Connector. Monitoring the occurrence, cumulative total or frequency of these types of errors can give storage administrators the ability to quickly react and correct such problems to reduce or eliminate impacts to the availability to end users and their files.

Syncplicity has exposed a set of metrics, called Health Metrics, which are generated by the Storage Connector version 2.7.0.5. These metrics can be used by storage administrators to monitor the health of the Storage Connectors deployed in their environment and, when consumed by aggregation and monitoring tools, provide a powerful method to assist administrators in fine-tuning their environment and reacting quickly when errors occur.

This set of Health Monitoring articles provide more detailed information on the metrics that are generated by the Storage Connector, explain how to configure the Storage Connector to transmit health metrics to a monitoring tool, and recommend best practices on how to capture and interpret these metrics.